It's just after eight o'clock in the evening, and we have about five or six hours to prepare.
Chen Weiqiang also needs to go back to his dorm to gather his things, though I'm not sure what exactly he needs. Since I, Ba Yi, and Screwdriver are all from the same dorm, we don't have to worry about checking our limited personal belongings.
We don't have much to pack anyway. Apart from the clothes we don't need to take, there's just some snacks and, most importantly, our guns, knives, and medicine.
Even though Yang Lianting said the medical freezer truck has supplies, I still packed some anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing medicine just in case.
Then, I gave the Desert Eagle I got from Yang Lianting to Screwdriver. He used to be a scout and an excellent sniper, so a powerful handgun like this suits him perfectly.
I even dreamed that once we escape, we could buy a sniper rifle for him on the black market. With weapons, we could definitely make it back home…
The police handgun I tricked from Ace, the old fox, today is naturally mine. When we returned to the Golden Casino, the old fox wanted to take it back, but I had already hidden it on Ding on our way back.
I lied that I had to be searched before entering the villa and had discarded the gun outside. Thus, the old fox didn't press the issue.
Ba Yi suddenly remarked, "The park is so quiet tonight. I can't hear any screams."
We stood by the nailed-shut window, looking at the silent playground, feeling inexplicably sad.
"The calm before the storm. I suspect many people are planning to escape this time," I cleared my throat, finishing the last sip of water from my bottle.
Screwdriver turned to me, "What about Li Jianguo? Aren't we taking him with us?"
"That stubborn man only has revenge on his mind. If we want him to come with us, there's only one way…"
"You have a plan?"
"Yes, but once we get out, and he realizes I lied to him, he'll definitely try to kill me."
I walked to the bench and sat down, crushing the empty bottle in my hand.
Screwdriver fiddled with the Desert Eagle, "Once we're out, who cares about him? Just make up some excuse then."
He's such a gun enthusiast, constantly playing with the gun and never putting it down for a second.
I was really afraid he might accidentally discharge it and hurt me or Ba Yi.
"I guess he'll go to the basement too. Otherwise, staying in the park means being cannon fodder for Liu Shiyi and Yang Lianting, crazier than mad dogs."
Maybe we could find out about Li Jianguo's wife when we go to the basement.
"Knock knock knock"
The sudden knocking startled Screwdriver, almost making him drop the Desert Eagle.
I told them to lie down on the bed and pretend to sleep, while I took off my shirt and yawned as I went to open the door.
"Tang Tian? You're here for a late-night snack?"
I leaned against the door, rubbing my eyes and smiling.
Tang Tian glanced into the dark dormitory, "Brother Ning wants to see you at the small villa."
"So urgent? Give me a moment."
I turned to grab a t-shirt from the bedside and closed the door, following him downstairs.
Tang Tian handed me a cigarette, "You were lucky today, managing to come back from that general's house. You're now a wanted man in the city."
"Wanted…" I took the cigarette and tucked it behind my ear, "Is this a joke?"
"Don't get upset. This is part of the commander's plan to test if the general still has any loyalists left. The captain and the car were blown up on the way. Besides, the wanted poster doesn't show your photo, just a blurry silhouette of a Burmese soldier."
"As long as it's not me. Heard anything else?"
"That's hard to say," Tang Tian chuckled, playing coy.
"Then don't say."
I strode towards the small villa and noticed a shadow quickly passing by not far away.
It looked like Li Jianguo. What's he up to in the middle of the night, not going back to his dorm?
Tang Tian caught up and saw me standing still, looking in the same direction, "What's up?"
Li Jianguo, like a ghost, disappeared into the greenery.
"Uh… just remembered something, never mind, you can't help anyway."
I pretended to scratch my head mysteriously and continued walking.
I thought Brother Ning wanted to warn me about something when he called me to the small villa. Turns out, he just wanted to invite me for a late-night snack and reward me with ten thousand yuan, promising to get me out to be his personal bodyguard.
He said he would hand over all his private armed forces for me to lead and wanted me to teach them Chinese kung fu…
He's really dreaming bigger than I am, his wolfish ambitions all too clear.
I made an excuse about being injured and wanting to rest, then quickly left with the money.
I felt like there were eyes watching me the whole time.
Back at the dorm, the first thing I did was count all the cash to make sure none was missing for our escape.
The money we earned was all deposited into a bank card we got from Abu, and Chen Weiqiang held onto the card while I kept the cash.
Once everything was ready, I lay down on the bed with my clothes on, resting my eyes.
In reality, no one else was asleep either. We were all too excited, just staying quiet to avoid alerting anyone eavesdropping outside.
The park outside was eerily quiet, quieter than any other night.
I was too tired but didn't dare sleep, afraid of missing something.
In the end, all we could hear in the dorm was our own heartbeats.
Though we appeared calm, inside we were all in turmoil.
Unable to stay still, I sat up, crossing my legs to meditate.
Time crawled by, and finally, at 2:50 a.m., I woke up Ba Yi and Screwdriver.
Apart from money and medicine, we took nothing else.
The three of us quietly left the dorm. When we reached the basement entrance of the gray building, Wrench and Chen Weiqiang had also arrived on time.
The patrol guards had indeed been sent away by Yang Lianting. We barely saw anyone patrolling as we made our way here.
Li Jianguo was still nowhere to be seen. With time running out, we couldn't wait for him and headed inside to deal with the doctors first.
We nodded to each other, then quietly slipped into the dark basement.
The tunnel was long, at least a hundred meters, with no lights, navigating purely by feeling along the slimy walls.
This place only gets used for kidney harvesting, usually deserted, making it extra eerie at this hour.
When we reached the end of the tunnel and turned left, we saw a glass room ahead, brightly lit.
Peering in, we saw a professional operating room.
A doctor in a white coat was busy performing a kidney transplant on a "piggy," with three or four other doctors assisting with various tasks, from handling surgical tools to managing organ transport boxes.
"Thump thump thump"
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from the other end of the tunnel.